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Text of ‘Donbass reintegration bill’ published in Ukrainian media

Thursday, July 13, 2017 - 13:32

Ukrainian media published on Wednesday the text of the bill on Donbass reintegration, which the Verkhovna Rada may consider in the autumn session.

So, in accordance with the document developed by the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) and posted on the site of "Public Television," reintegration of Donbass presupposes the possibility of introducing martial law in the region by order of President Pyotr Poroshenko. The Head of State also "can decide on the use of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, other military formations provided by the laws of Ukraine in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions," as stated in the text, "to deter and repel the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, to restore Ukraine's territorial integrity."

The document indicates that Ukraine considers the uncontrolled regions of Donetsk and Lugansk regions "temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation."

In addition, the draft law provides for "transferring control over trade with uncontrolled territories of Ukraine to the Armed Forces of Ukraine." All local self-government bodies in the Donbass territories beyond the control of Kiev and their decisions "are recognized as illegal."

The document also contains provisions that "in the implementation of political and diplomatic measures to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine, priority is given to the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol of September 5, 2014, as well as the Minsk memorandum of September 19 of the same year and the Package of Measures of February 12, 2015, with the aim of creating the necessary conditions for a political settlement."

At the same time, it remains unclear from the text of the published draft law how Kiev intends to implement such paragraphs of the Minsk agreements as amnesty, the resumption of economic ties with Donbass, a deep constitutional reform that should result in decentralization of power and granting special status to certain regions of Donetsk and Lugansk regions. There is not a word in the document about holding elections in these territories, which are also prescribed in the Minsk agreements agreed upon by the leaders of the "Normandy Four" (Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France) and signed by the Contact Group members - Ukraine, Russia, OSCE and the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics.